St. Clair Board OKs Street Upgrades Plans

St. Clair officials will try for a fourth a time to get grant funds for a Kitchell Street and Commercial Avenue project.

The board of aldermen approved a professional services proposal from the engineering firm Cochran in the amount of $110,625 at Monday’s city meeting. The cost includes engineering work and inspections during construction.

City Administrator Travis Dierker said the city is seeking a surface transportation project grant (STP) for the project that would consist of widening Commercial Avenue, adding a center turn lane, and asphalt repavement on Kitchell Street along with sidewalk additions.

There is a $5,000 fee to apply for the grant. If the project is denied, then the city will be reimbursed by Chocran. The city was refunded the fee the past three times the application was denied, according to Dierker.

The total construction cost is $711,567, which does not include the engineering fee. Dierker said, if approve, 80 percent or $569,026 of the project would be funded by the STP grant administered by the East-West Gateway (EWGW) Council of Governments.

EWGW is the metropolitan planning organization for the St. Louis region, which includes Franklin County.

The city’s portion is $250,727, Dierker said, which includes the engineering fee, application fee and $142,256 that would come out of the city’s street improvement and transportation fund.

Dierker said he has spoken to Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Area Engineer Judy Wagner about the project.